Category: Phenology – 5A

These posts are all of the plants I have observed blooming on particular dates. I am doing this for a hobby, so the information I give is purely observational, not so much scientific. I hope that I can inspire you to take notice of the gifts Mother Nature brings to us each season.

I love monarch butterflies! Butterflies in general are so whimsical and make me feel 12 again. I was lurking through my media files and happened upon this folder labeled ‘fall walk’. Well, that was a pretty uneventful title for a nice set of pretty flutter-bys!! I’m not even sure where these were taken, but who cares 😉 Just enjoy them.

They like the late season bonanza found on Joe Pye Weed and the Queen Anne’s Lace make nice landing pads.

The origin of names has always fascinated me. So, who was Joe Pye and why does he have a weed named after him?? I found quite a large amount of research on the topic. For a Cliff’s Notes version, read below:

Joseph Pye of Stockbridge could have had an ancestor from Salem who treated colonists for typhus thereby making his “fame and fortune,” or his name might have been a corruption from a hypothetical Indian word for typhus or some similar disease. But I ask: Why not embrace the hard evidence that Joseph Pye was a Mohegan sachem who lived in western Massachusetts precisely where Eaton tells us that “Joe Pye’s Weed” was in “common use” as a treatment for typhus; that he lived his notable life there just a few decades before Eaton remarks on Joe Pye’s Weed; that the president of the college where Eaton lectured believed that he successfully treated his fever with a tea made from Joe Pye’s Weed; that Joseph Pye was educated by Samson Occam, himself an herbalist? All this is substantiated and frankly I believe makes a better story than any borne of speculation.

Of course, monarchs love milkweed. If everyone could just plant a few of these in their yard, we would truly be able to help their populations.

My Elevator Speech…

Holly grew up growing veggies with her Father & flowers with her Mother. She has a horticultural degree in Natural Area's Management & certificates in Landscape Maintenance & Urban Forestry Management. Holly is a licensed arborist through the International Society of Arborists. She has taught Computer Landscape Design (DynaSCAPE) at the College of Lake County, volunteered for the Master Gardener's Program (and other programs) and has over 12 years of experience in the high-end landscaping industry.